Apply for certification of cultural property
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please note that as of April 1, 2017, the Secretariat to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board will no longer accept paper applications for certification.
All submissions must be made online.
We encourage institutions to take advantage of the benefits of applying online.
For further information, please contact us.
Click here to register.
Designated organizations may apply to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board for the certification of cultural property for tax purposes. These organizations meet the necessary standards to preserve the cultural property and make it publicly accessible. Owners of cultural property must first reach an agreement, or a proposed agreement, with a designated organization. The designated organization will then apply for a tax certificate on their behalf.
Certification applications are processed by the Secretariat to the Canadian Cultural Property Review Board. For more information about the application process, please refer to the application guide on the Certification of Cultural Property for Income Tax Purposes (PDF version, 515 KB) or contact the Secretariat to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.
On this page:
Submission deadlines
The Review Board meets four times per year. New applications, requests for redetermination, and additional information for applications on hold are all subject to the same deadline. View meeting dates and deadlines for more information.
Guidelines
Applicants should take care to review the applicable guidelines on the Certification of Cultural Property for Income Tax Purposes (PDF version, 515 KB) before preparing a certification application. This will help ensure that applications are complete when submitted and may be processed more efficiently by the Secretariat.
Apply online
eSubmission is a secure, web-based portal for preparing and submitting electronic certification applications online.
First-time applicants
First-time applicants will have to register for a GCKey. The steps are:
- Go to Access My Canadian Heritage Account.
- Click on the button GCKey Log In at the bottom of the page.
- Click on the button Sign Up under Simple Secure Access on the right hand side of the page.
Returning applicants
Returning applicants can login through GCKey. The steps are:
- Go to Access My Canadian Heritage Account.
- Click on the button GCKey Log In at the bottom of the page.
- Sign in using your GCKey username and password on the left hand side of the page.
For more information about the advantages of applying online, for help getting started, or for any technical assistance, please contact the Secretariat to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.
Decision timelines
Under the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, the Review Board must consider a request for certification and, unless the circumstances of a particular case require otherwise, make a determination within four months after the date the request is received.
The Secretariat to the Review Board acknowledges all submissions received throughout the year. Applications received before the submission deadline of a Review Board meeting will ordinarily be considered at that meeting unless the circumstances of a particular case require otherwise. View the meeting dates and deadlines of the Review Board for more information.
Review Board decisions are communicated to the applicant organization and the donor or vendor as soon as possible, typically within four weeks of the meeting when the application was considered.
Donors or vendors who have not yet received a decision letter and who would like to know more about the status of their application should contact the organization applying on their behalf. Applicant organizations should contact the Secretariat to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.
Organizations that applied electronically may also review the status of their application online.
Note:
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